Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Two for Solar Power

If you are a regular reader of my Blog, you know I’ve mentioned more than once that Mary and I have many things in common and one of these is we both are solar powered…we get electricity from the sun.

In my case I have three solar panels on my motorhome. Since I have low power requirements and so long as I get a good supply of sunshine, I never have to plug into an electrical outlet for electricity. Here’s a photo of my motorhome where the three solar panels are visible. Driving down the road they lay flat on the roof and during the winter months when the sun is lower on the horizon, when parked I raise them as shown for better efficiency. The solar panels store energy in four 6-volt golf cart batteries. These batteries are also charged by the motorhome’s alternator as I drive down the road. Bottom line…I have no monthly electric bills! Pretty neat…huh?

My motorhome has three solar panels.

In Mary’s case, her home is connected to the electrical grid. During the summer her 18 solar panels generate more energy that she uses, so she actually sells it to the power company. During the winter, because of less sun time due to cloudier weather plus the sun being lower on the horizon, she does not generate enough energy so she buys it from the power company. Last year her total electric bill for the entire year was $79. Pretty neat…huh?

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.